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SENATE RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The Cooke County Fair Association is celebrating |
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the 150th anniversary of the Cooke County Fair in 2021; and |
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WHEREAS, The first county fair in Cooke County was held |
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near Gainesville in 1871, on land that had been donated to the |
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Cooke County Agricultural and Mechanical Association by Robert |
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Wheelock, the county's first judge, and J. M. Perry; it featured |
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exhibits and a mule-driven flying jenny, which was an early |
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version of the merry-go-round; fairs were held on the site until |
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1875, when the land was sold; and |
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WHEREAS, The fair association established a new 40-acre |
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fairground in 1891 and conducted an annual fair there until 1894; |
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the next fair was held in 1897 at a third location, which featured |
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a racetrack, agricultural displays, livestock judging, and |
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balloon ascensions; subsequent fairs took place at different |
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sites in 1899 and 1906; and |
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WHEREAS, After festivities were suspended between 1913 and |
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1926, the Cooke County Fair was reestablished in 1927, and in |
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1928, it drew more than 13,000 people with two parades, an |
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archery contest, baseball games, a team-pulling competition, and |
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a rodeo; that same year, the City of Gainesville provided the |
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fair association with the use of land east of the city, and over |
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the years, several exhibition halls were added to the property; |
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the fair association took its current name in 1939; and |
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WHEREAS, Put on hold again during World War II, the fair |
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was restarted in 1947; the Fair Park Community Center was used |
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throughout the year for an annual horse show, a reunion of war |
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veterans on the Fourth of July, and a Juneteenth celebration by |
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the county's African American residents; during the 1950s and |
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60s, the fair was held in downtown Gainesville; and |
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WHEREAS, In the 1980s, the fair association purchased its |
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current location just outside of the city and built a fair barn; |
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destroyed by a storm in 2006, the barn has been rebuilt, becoming |
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host to many other events year-round, including 4-H and FFA youth |
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workshops, rodeos, circuses, livestock shows, and shooting |
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competitions; and |
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WHEREAS, For a century and a half, the Cooke County Fair |
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has brought the community together to benefit youth, promote |
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agriculture, and celebrate the area's rich legacy, and it is |
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truly a pleasure to join in marking this special occasion; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the 87th Texas Legislature, |
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3rd Called Session, hereby commemorate the 150th anniversary of |
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the Cooke County Fair and extend to the Cooke County Fair |
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Association sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for the association as an expression of high regard by |
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the Texas Senate. |